Looking to escape this holiday season? How about a two night stay in Vegas? Sshh we won’t tell the kids. Vdara Hotel & Spa is a AAA Four Diamond award-winning eco-friendly, all-suite boutique located in the heart of the Vegas strip. You may remember that Las Vegas got in trouble for having the heaviest smokers than any other city in America. But don’t worry, Vdara is a smoke free (and gaming-free) resort so you can get right to relaxing. It features an 18,000-square-foot, two-level spa, salon and fitness center.

Book by December 12th to enjoy this exclusive offer:

• $50 Resort Credit

• 15% off all spa services at Spa & Salon Vdara

• When you purchase a 50 minute spa treatment – receive 2 complimentary robes to remember your trip!

• 2-for-1 cocktails at Bar Vdara

• Sleep in and enjoy a late check-out at 4pm

• Upgrade to a Vdara suite for just $50 extra a night

Vdara suites are approximately 800 square feet and include one bedroom with a living room featuring a queen pull-out bed. The kitchen comes complete with a full-size stainless steel fridge and cook top. Also, enjoy your own personal washer and dryer. (What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, even the stains.) The cherry on top – that view!

Offer valid December 2, 2011 – February 29, 2012. Book now.

By Kristen Arnett, Green Beauty Team

In hectic cities like New York, spa go-ers are looking for a relief from the stresses of urban life.  In just about every place, not only big cities, people want to feel transported from their daily discomforts to somewhere tranquil.

Many spas are constantly searching for unique and exotic treatments from all over the world such as Bali, Hawaii, Thailand, Iceland, etc. to include in their menus.   The sensory experience of having treatments with birch branches, flowers, honey, mud, stones and other natural elements has become an incredibly popular way of creating the feeling of leaving city, if not the country, for a brief but precious time.

As spas continue to look to Mother Nature and older traditions of various cultures for healing treatments (two trends that are very popular this fall), they inevitably become more “green” in their approach. What’s interesting is to hear each spa’s reason(s) for choosing  to walk the eco path.  Some began as described above, others purely wanted to save on utilities such as water and energy, and some want to separate from the pack by offering holistic services, and others because they had an automatic desire to practice conscious methods.

As a spa-enthusiast, I am a complete pushover for pampering treatments, pools of thermal and fresh waters, and just about every type of massage available.  Since I’ve started paying more attention to the importance of incorporating natural, holistic ingredients in beauty products both personally and professionally, finding spas that share my values has become a priority.

I have this reoccurring fantasy that in some remote place an attentive farmer is carrying a straw basket in a pristine field harvesting herbs, flowers and plants that will be mixed together in a unique batch of an organic skin potion and sent to the very spa I am attending. A dreamy feeling takes over as I imagine that these fresh botanicals will renew me with the purity of air and soil in which they were grown.

Thankfully that fantasy is actually a reality in green spas all around the world. Take for instance the often-ignored state of Wisconsin, mostly known for its dairy products. It’s the home of two beautifully green facilities, the Aspira Spa and Kohler Waters Spa (participating in Spa Week this Fall!).

From the edges of a lake, on what is said to be sacred Native American land, staff from the Aspira Spa collect flowers and tree branches used in their chakra balancing treatments. Over at Kohler, the spa invested a $12,000 to create an underground piping system that would utilize the hot water from their production facility (where they make the kitchen accoutrements we are so used to seeing at Home Depot) to heat the water in their spa facility in order to save over 3.2 million gallons of water annually.

As part of the experience of feeling well-cared for and relaxed, a growing number of consumers want to know the spa they visit incorporates complete well-being from the products they use, to how the therapists approach their practice, to how eco-conscious the facility is.

A few years ago, it was difficult to locate “green” spas, but thankfully with sites like Spa Week, this rapidly growing class of spas is now much easier to find and enjoy.

International makeup artist Kristen Arnett has been immersed in the world of beauty for over 14 years, with roles ranging from product development to high-profile fashion work. As a beauty educator, she appears on television, writes articles, speaks and trains people around the globe. Now Kristen is focusing her talents and personal ethics to educating people everywhere about “Green Beauty,” and how they can choose products that are not only effective as cosmetics, but also beneficial to the skin. Founder and Editor-in-Chief of GreenBeautyTeam.com, Kristen is respected in fashion circles worldwide for her skill at enhancing beauty without the need for harmful chemicals and has been featured in Whole Living Magazine, Kiwi Magazine and on Style.com, to name a few.From the runway to real life, Kristen is looking to make a positive difference in how people of all ages consider their own self-care.

Happy Green Monday! On this, one of money’s biggest days of the year, we are celebrating with with ways to make gift-giving a little greener. This Holiday Gift guide is especially for those who want to save the polar bears from the melting ice caps, never skip their annual trip to the rain forest, and uses only Aveda beauty products. How can you not love a person who cares about the environment? We suggest bringing them closer to saving the earth with eco-friendly holiday gifts.

Michelle’s Tree-Hugging Gift-Giving Advice: There are a lot of ways to give green, but how about this one: go to a local market and pick up a few fresh, local groceries and goodies. Makeover their pantry with fresh breads, oats, meats and cheeses. *BONUS* With it, give them a Spa Gift Card (all 20% off right now) and demand: “You must use this gift card before the food goes bad!” Preserving the earth, and their sanity.

Recycled Jute Grain Bag (Burlap) Colorful Backpack, $29.00

Handmade from recycled materials in Nepal, this lightweight backpack is perfect for eco adventures.

*MICHELLE’S PICK* Amala Skincare, $30 and up

A new favorite skincare line of mine, Amala treats your skin as with as much care as it does the environment. It’s expensive but it really, truly works; in the few weeks I’ve been using the Hydrate line, my skin has never looked so fresh. Amala partners with 13 individual farmers around the world to source the freshes ingredients for its products. Global fair trade and eco-consciousness are at the core of Amala Skincare. Pick one or two products to get a new skincare-savvy friend turned onto this line.

Hot Air Balloon Hummingbird Feeders, $40.00

Should your tree hugger host a family of blue jays or robbins in their backyard, these hot air balloon bird feeders would come in handy. Made out of recycled glass by artisans in Mexico so that their feathered friends will never go hungry.

One Baggu Bag Eco Friendly Reusable Shopping Tote, $8.00

The keyword in this these strong, nylon shopping sacks is “reusuable”,  meaning guilt-free gifting from you to your eco conscious giftee. They replace paper and plastic bags without harming the environment.

*MICHELLE’S BAG IDEA* If your giftee is starting up a small business or movement, get her a bunch of custom logo’d eco-friendly shopping bags to use as promotional material.

SOLAR RADIO AM/FM/Weather Band, $32.00

Solar power to the tree hugger is like precious vintage to the fashion lover.  Win them over with this solar powered am/fm + weather band radio. It charges with solar power or manual hand crank.

You can always send Mrs. Green Thumb to the spa with a SPA gift card and let them experience the ever increasing number of eco-friendly spa treatments available, such as an organic facial.

Sure, New Yorkers are tough and aggressive (if you rode the 6 train every morning, you would be too!) But they’re also compassionate about the environment. From green city initiatives to individuals making conscious efforts to buy organic and local, it’s clear that when it comes to Earth matters, the Big Apple has a big heart.

Take for instance the The Green Spa & Wellness Center in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. They’re the first green spa in New York City and proud of it. And when I say green, I mean it. From their bamboo floors, to their energy efficient lighting, to the recycled denim that insulates their walls (not kidding), the Green Spa is doing their part. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle… Rejuvenate!

Starting March 16th you can make your Spa Week appointment at The Green Spa & Wellness Center on SpaWeek.com.

Detroit citizens have had a turbulent few months. It’s no secret that both blue and white collar industries have been hit hard by the auto industry crisis. Indeed the Motor City is definitely in need of some stress relief.

Luckily helping relieve stress is our forte! Five of Detroit’s best spas have signed on for Spa Week and the list is still growing! They’re offering Stress-Busting, Wellness and Ecofriendly treatments for just $50 per treatment. So go ahead, Detroit. Get pampered; you deserve it! The list of participating Detriot-area spas, after the jump! (more…)